“Power Limits” • by Kimberly Ann Smiley

 The new FTL flagship was an engineering breakthrough. Serving on it during testing and space trials was a career making opportunity. My daughter begged me to help get her the duty assignment, and she had never asked for anything. But I’d reviewed the specs. I filed reports non-stop, organized meetings, and pinged everyone important I knew, but the single star on my...

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“Leave the Plasma Gun, Take the Cannoli” • by Brandon Case

Colonel Janus Andio waited in line at the starship’s specialty-food vendor, impatiently tapping his foot. He turned to the short, plump man behind him and said, “Did you hear about the Zolasso Family? They’ve muscled members into the entire Asteroid Fleet.” “Removed all opposition,” the man said. “Everywhere but this ship.” “Bunch of chumps… leaving the admiral’s decapitated...

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“Holding the Fort” • by Gustavo Bondoni

“Mr. Maginot, your cousin is here.”“Send him in.” Maginot replied. “Claude, have a seat. I’ve decided to leave you all my work.”“I thought you never liked me.”“I hope this helps to bring us together. I have decided to retire, but this line against the Germans that my father designed must remain in the family.”“All these forts? But aren’t you too young to retire?”“Doctor’s...

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“Memory Makes Liars of Us All” • by Eric Dontigney

I didn’t meet Jesse until two years into my first tour. He was transferred into our unit following an incident that left him the sole survivor of his unit. He never spoke about it, but word gets around. The way we heard it, some idiot from intelligence ordered them into a box canyon on a recon mission. In the unit had gone and the Cricks were waiting on the...

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“The Final Command” • by Matt Krizan

As Captain Liska rode the turbolift to the bridge of the science vessel Galileo, her executive officer fidgeted alongside her. Commander Quiller tapped the thumbs of his clasped hands together, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “Something on your mind, Commander?” said Liska. “Just not sure this mission's a good idea, sir.” “Yes, you’ve made that quite clear. You may...

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“No One Noticed” • by Avery Elizabeth Hurt

They landed on a hill just north of the city one morning during rush hour. The ships were tall and narrow, some 150-meters high, and glowed with that deep, intense white of floodlights in sports stadiums. They stood there like sentinels, humming softly. And no one noticed. Cars keep alternately zooming and creeping toward the offices scattered on the hillside just below the...

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Creating Alien Aliens, Part 26: I Made A REALLY Weird Sapient Alien…What Do YOU Think?

Five decades ago, I started my college career with the intent of becoming a marine biologist. I found out I had to get a BS in biology before I could even begin work on MARINE biology; especially because there WEREN'T any marine biology programs in Minnesota. Along the way, the science fiction stories I'd been writing since I was 13 began to grow more believable. With my BS...

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